1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bar code scanners and, in particular, to a portable, wireless, optical scanner configured to be held in the palm of one hand with the thumb or fingers of that hand operating the keys of a keyboard on the front face of the scanner housing.
2. Description of Related Art
Bar codes today are widely used for a multitude of applications, such as sales order entry, inventory control, marketing data collection, asset management, and the like. In particular, the use of bar codes has become so common they are now typically found on store shelves and on packages, containers, cans, and the like in which merchandise is packaged and sold. As a consequence, a variety of devices for reading and decoding bar codes are known.
Bar code scanners generally fall within one of two types, laser scanners and contact scanners. A laser scanner resembles a "gun" in that it generally has a barrel, a pistol grip which is sometimes also referred to as a "power grip," and a trigger. This design is preferred because it aids in aiming the laser scanner properly and in controlling and balancing the laser scanner which, due to its weight, tends to cause the hand and wrist holding it to tire over time. A laser scanner scans or "reads" a bar code by pointing the barrel in the direction of the bar code while holding it by its pistol grip, and pulling the trigger. This causes the laser to emit a light beam which exits the barrel of the laser scanner and strikes the bar code. A portion of the light beam is then reflected back through the barrel in such a manner as to strike a detector which transmits the information electronically for further processing, e.g., to a microprocessor.
Contact scanners are sometimes also referred to as "pencil wands" due to their narrow, pencil-like shape. Contact scanners scan or "read" a bar code by emitting visible red or infrared light such as, for example, from an LED which strikes the bar code while the scanner is moved across the bar code in a linear direction with the tip of the scanner touching the bar code label. As with a laser scanner, a portion of the light is reflected back into the wand in such a manner as to strike a detector which then transmits the information electronically for further processing.
Traditionally, laser scanners and contact scanners were comparatively simple devices that included only the requisite optics. Such scanners did not include a keyboard, a display, or a memory, and they needed to be connected via a cable to a computer device. This enabled the operator to view data on a display and to input data using the keyboard. More recent versions of both of these types of bar code scanners have included some form of a keyboard, a display, and memory. For example, a wireless laser scanner that incorporates an internal battery and memory to save the data as the operator scans bar codes has been introduced. However, because this device does not have a keyboard or display, the stored data must later be sent to a computer device using a connector, radio transmitter, or optical port on the unit. While other bar code scanners with memory have incorporated a display and a keyboard, they require two-handed operation whenever the operator wants to use the keyboard to enter variable data. Even those laser scanners that have become of a sufficiently compact size and weight so as to no longer need a pistol grip still require one hand to hold the scanner and the other hand to use the keyboard whenever variable data is entered.
Accordingly, the need exists for a compact, portable, wireless bar code scanner having a keyboard and a display that can be held and operated by one hand.